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Eddie Izzard aims for 27 marathons in 27 days as Mandela tribute

Comedian Eddie Izzard is set to run 27 marathons in 27 consecutive days in tribute to former South African president Nelson Mandela.

On the sidelines of a sponsors' event at the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Johannesburg, Izzard announced that the 27 marathons were to represent the 27 years Mandela was imprisoned during the Apartheid era.

Izzard's marathons will be run in South Africa, retracing in chronological order Mandela's life. The first marathon will be run in South Africa's Eastern Cape, the area where Mandela was born 94 years ago.

The comedian expects to run marathons at all the key points in Mandela's life: from Mandela's childhood in the Eastern Cape, to his trial in Pretoria and imprisonment on Robben Island near Cape Town.

Although not expecting to meet Mandela in person, Izzard hopes that the Nobel Peace Prize winner will hear of his endeavours and will be pleased.

"If someone says to him: 'By the way, there's an idiot, you've met him before, he's doing these runs.' Hopefully he might go: 'Oh, yes, running is a good idea. That is a positive thing.' Or he might say: 'He's crazy,'" joked Izzard.

Nelson Mandela walks to freedom near Cape Town in February 1990

Whilst in South Africa, Izzard will be making a documentary film about the marathons. He hopes it will be televised towards the end of this year.

Izzard is no stranger to running marathons, having previously run 43 marathons in 51 days in 2009.